Ainsley’s Angels ambassador runs to serve special needs kids

December1,2017

by Briana Grzybowski, Tennessee Register

Father Ryan High School alum Kevin Connor is a volunteer ambassador for Ainsley’s Angels, a charity that provides special needs children with the opportunity to participate in road races. The volunteers push the children in specialized wheelchairs over the course of the race.

On a typical Saturday, you can usually find 1991 Father Ryan High School alum Kevin Connor lacing up his sneakers to participate in a 5k or other long-distance road race.

But he’s not worried about getting a medal or even improving his running times. The races aren’t about him. They’re about helping kids who can’t run or often can’t even walk themselves.

Connor is a volunteer ambassador for Ainsley’s Angels, a charity that provides special needs children with the opportunity to participate in road races. “I love special needs kids and I sort of … like running,” Connor said. “I do like making people happy though, and the smiles that I get on a Saturday and knowing that these families have an event to look forward to, makes the running worth it.”

He first became involved in May 2016 after learning of a friend’s volunteer experiences with the organization.

“I had been looking for a volunteer opportunity that myself and my family could serve and practice the faith that I have been trying to cultivate my whole life,” Connor said. “One night, my family and I were camping, and everyone went to bed. I sat by the fire on social media and I came across some posts from an Ainsley’s Angels race in Houston, Texas. The Houston chapter ambassador is my friend and fellow Father Ryan alum Paula Haas. The pictures just really struck me that night and I fully committed that night to getting involved.”

The organization is named for the late Ainsley Rossiter, who was born in 2003 and diagnosed at age 3 with the rare disease Infantile Neuroaxonal Dystrophy. The illness affects the nervous system and causes its victims to progressively lose muscle control and their five senses. Most children diagnosed with this disease don’t live past their 10th birthdays. Ainsley lived to be 12, passing away in February 2016.

When her family would take her jogging in her wheelchair and enroll her in road races, it brought so much joy to her and everyone around her. It was a bright light that helped her family cope with the fact that their little girl was dying.

The Rossiter family started Ainsley’s Angels in Lake Charles, Louisiana, in 2011 to bring that same joy to other special needs families. The organization has since spread to roughly 30 states and 50 cities across the country. Each year, Ainsley’s Angels hosts several races, ranging in distance from 5k to full marathons. Angel riders, who are unable to run the races on their own, are fitted for a wheelchair and assisted by one to three angel runners, who push the riders to ensure that they safely cross the finish line.

The atmosphere at an Ainsley’s Angels race is a cheerful one, Connor says. “It’s a very festive environment and usually involves a dance party and pictures either before or after the race. When riders finish their first race, they receive an angel wings medal. The race directors usually do a very good job of celebrating the fact that we’re there at the start of the race and the crowd is so encouraging during the race and especially at the finish line. We often have rider athletes that can move, get out of the stroller and cross the finish line. The crowd gets pretty crazy when that happens.”

Connor loves seeing entire families involved at the races. “These families rely on each other and it’s so cool to provide another avenue for the families and kids to be active and included,” he said. “I think my favorite part is when running families get involved. We have a few families that do not have any special needs children that regularly participate, and I just love seeing young people involved in this mission of inclusion. They really do form a special bond with the Angel rider athletes.”

Though the athletes’ families are going through difficult and heartbreaking situations, the races give them something to smile about. “It gives the families regular events that are something to look forward to and that make their children happy,” Connor explained. “Many times, these families are so involved with medical issues and challenges, and my hope is that Ainsley’s Angels gives them an outlet away from that where that child can be celebrated in their accomplishment of completing the race as a team.”

Several people from around the Diocese in Nashville have helped Connor spread the word about Ainsley’s Angels. “I remember the first meeting that I had when trying to grow Ainsley’s Angels was with Father Dexter Brewer, who was at Father Ryan when I was a student,” he said. “He was so supportive and really helped Ainsley’s Angels grow quickly. One of my Father Ryan classmates, Tony Carletello, introduced me to a special needs mom, Randa Reep, who was very instrumental in recruiting special needs families for me. Her daughter Lilli is now in the new Hand in Hand program at St. Ann School. That was one of my initial challenges of getting started. It’s difficult finding special needs families to trust you with their children during a race, which is understandable. Randa was instrumental in helping me get that trust, and now, many families are hooked.”

Connor strongly encourages all who are interested to get involved in Ainsley’s Angels, as the organization is run entirely by volunteers. “We have all different speeds of runners, from 7-minute miles to 12-13 minute miles, so don’t let that discourage you. It doesn’t hook everyone, but it brings a lot of joy to most people who try it.”

He also encourages people to donate, as runners’ entry fees are often expensive. All who wish to learn more about giving their time and treasure can learn more at ainsleysangels.org.